The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a component of the National Institutes of Health, has announced that it has launched a website to provide information on environmental hazards created in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina < www.nih.gov/news/pr/sep2005/niehs-09.htm >. Already available on the site at http://www-apps.niehs.nih.gov/katrina/ are maps showing information such as the location of Superfund sites and oil refineries in the affected areas.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. American Rights at Work finds companies that don't bust unions

American Rights At Work < www.araw.org >, an organization that usually highlights corporate resistance to union organizing, recently released its first list of companies that participate in "successful partnerships" with unions representing their employees. The group called the existence of such companies a sign that the anti-union, low-road approach adopted by firms such as Wal-Mart is not the only viable workforce strategy. The list < www.araw.org/srb/ldl.cfm >, which is not meant to be comprehensive, includes both small firms and large corporations such as Cingular Wireless, Costco, Harley-Davidson and Kaiser Permanente.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3. EPA databases found to be inefficient and error-prone

A study of the Environmental Protection Agency's data on regulated facilities found that the fragmented and decentralized nature of the system creates gaps and inaccuracies in the information. Produced by the Environmental Information Coalition and facilitated by the National Academy of Public Administration, the report provides a set of recommendations for improving consistency, accuracy and thoroughness of the data. Above all, the report calls for the creation of a single Master File system to replace the current arrangement in which the different divisions of the EPA as well as state environmental agencies report data in ways that do not allow for reliable aggregation. EPA responded to the report by saying that it has been working on data standardization but was not ready to announce any results. The full Environmental Information Coalition report can be found online atwww.napawash.org/Pubs/EnvironmentalInformationConsortium-6-30-2005.pdf

The Agribusiness Accountability Initiative < www.agribusinessaccountability.org/ > has announced the launch of a collaborative project involving the collection of market share data on agribusiness companies around the world. Calling itself the Market Share Matrix Project, the international initiative has begun posting data on the web at < www.marketsharematrix.org/ >. Other researchers are invited to fill in the missing pieces of the matrix.

Exxpose Exxon, a coalition of a dozen major environmental groups, has kicked off a campaign against the energy giant because of its backward position on climate change. The campaign (online at http://www.exxposeexxon.com/ ) has called for a boycott of the company by consumers, investors and potential employees. It has also released a report, EXXON MOBIL EXPOSED < www.exxposeexxon.com/report.pdf > that looks at the company's financial support of groups that express skepticism about global warming, its resistance to renewable energy and its other dubious policies.

WWF (the conservation group formerly known as the World Wildlife Fund) and the UK consulting company SustainAbility have released a report that examines the disclosure practices of large companies concerning corporate lobbying. Called INFLUENCING POWER, the report rates the reporting of 100 of the world's largest companies and compares the content of their disclosure to the content of their statements on corporate responsibility. No company received the highest rating in the report ("integrated"), but eight did qualify for the second-highest category ("systematic"). They were BASF, BP, Chevron, Dow, Ford Motor, GM, GlaxoSmithKline and Hewlett Packard. The report can be found online atwww.sustainability.com/insight/scalingup-article.asp?id=317

Unlike the PACER system that covers the U.S. federal courts, the Canadian websites have only the basic information about each case--parties, issues, etc.-- and not a log of proceedings or images of filings.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. Contracts database grows to more than 55,000 entries

The Contracting and Organizations Research Institute at the University of Missouri-Columbia boasts that its database of contracts now has more than 55,000 entries and enhanced features. The digital contracts library, called CORI K-Base, provides free access (after registration) to the full text of business, government and labor union contracts obtained from public sources such as SEC filings. They can be keyword-searched. The CORI-K search page is at: http://ronald.cori.missouri.edu/cori_search/client_search.php

These fact sheets are designed for policymakers, NGOs, journalists and others interested in tobacco. They provide summaries of current research, provide responses to common industry arguments, give some guidance on the relevant sections of the global tobacco treaty (the FCTC) and provide sources for more information.

Over the next few months we will have these translated into at least French & Spanish and will be adding new ones on such issues as taxes and agriculture. We currently have the following 10 fact sheets:

ProQuest Information and Learning, the company that has assembled complete digital archives of major newspapers such as the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal, is beginning to turn its attention to small-town and community newspapers < www.il.proquest.com/division/pr/05/20050824.shtml >. The company inaugurated its project with the digitization of the Zeeland (Michigan) Record, but the company did not indicate how many other small town papers will be put into digital form or how quickly the project will proceed. For more on the major papers that have been digitized, see < www.proquest.com/proquest/features/feature-04/default.shtml >.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A cumulative index of sources (with links) mentioned in issues of the Dirt Diggers Digest can be found at: www.corp-research.org/dirt_diggers_index.htm.